Ex-Patriots Lineman Joe Andruzzi Carries Woman at Boston Marathon

Receive the latest national-international updates in your inbox

Joe Andruzzi, a former New England Patriots offensive lineman, carries a woman from the scene on Exeter Street after two explosions went off on Boylston Street near the finish line of the 117th Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013.

Updated at 8:32 AM EDT on Tuesday, Apr 16, 2013

When the bomb blasts went off near the finish line at the Boston Marathon on Monday, former New England Patriots offensive lineman Joe Andruzzi, who was there for an event to raise money for cancer research, jumped into action.

A photo the New England Patriots circulating on Twitter shows Andruzzi carrying a woman after the blast.

"We're All Rattled"

NBC Connecticut's John Chandler was four floors up, looking out a window when the explosions happened. (Published Tuesday, April 16, 2013)

Andruzzi tweeted that he and his wife are fine and issued a statement to ESPN, saying that the spotlight should not be on him. It should be on the first responders and runners, who he said are the true heroes.

“The spotlight should remain firmly on the countless individuals -- first responders, medics, EMTs, runners who crossed the finish line and kept on running straight to give blood, and the countless civilians who did whatever they could to save lives. They were the true heroes. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by this senseless tragedy," the statement to ESPN says.

Boston Witness: "First Explosion Went Off and Everyone Froze"

George Cuddy is from Southern California and now lives in Boston. He witnessed the two explosions at the Boston Marathon on Monday, and spoke with NBC4’s Whit Johnson about what he saw and heard. This video aired on the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on April 15, 2013. (Published Monday, April 15, 2013)

Andruzzi is a cancer survivor and president of the Joe Andruzzi Foundation, which raises money for cancer patients and their families and funds pediatric brain cancer research. The foundation had a team of runners in the marathon and had an event at Forum, on Boylston Street near the site of the second explosion.